spoiled brat

Chapter 103 102. It’s hard to calm down (2)
The journey seemed inexplicably long, and Zhao Zhao wished the sedan chair could grow wings and fly away in a flash.

Hearing the maid ask her to get out of the sedan chair, she thought they had arrived at their destination, but unexpectedly, the place where she got out of the sedan chair was a ferry crossing.

Under the moonlight, the lake shimmered like silver, and several small boats drifted by. The group stepped aboard, and the boats seemed to float on the wind, passing through layers of misty fog. In the distance, they could see a small island in the lake, with a thousand trees layered in verdant green, and jade lotuses reflecting the moon in the water—a scene of breathtaking beauty.

The boat stopped. Several maids in plain clothes were already waiting at the ferry crossing, and they welcomed Zhaozhao ashore: "Please come with us, young lady."

Following the bluestone path, past a peach grove and various wildflowers and herbs that Zhao Zhao couldn't name, a wooden cabin emerged from the lush greenery. Unadorned, unsigned, unrefined, it was as if naturally formed, serene and tranquil. Such a secluded and peaceful dwelling was only fit for immortals, Zhao Zhao thought. This was the place; Xiu Ning should live in a place like this.

The further in she went, the more serene the surroundings became. The cool, moist air seeped into her bones. When Zhao Zhao heard from the maid that Xiu Ning was staying here, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. She remembered that He Bi had once said that Xiu Ning used to be a free-spirited and unrestrained person, and that he must be very lonely living here.

Deep within the wooden hamlet stands an ancient palace, elegant and noble yet unconventional. In front of the palace, a row of sandalwood chests, dark and imposing, block the way.

The maids led Zhao Zhao around to wait quietly under the eaves, saying softly, "Miss, let's wait a bit and let the noblemen from the capital greet the princess first."

A distinguished guest from the capital? Zhao Zhao recalled that night on the city tower, when Xiu Ning drew his sword and pointed it at the young man in brocade robes. Could it be him?

But then they heard faint laughter coming from inside the house. It was a girl talking about interesting things in the capital. She seemed to know the place very well and was very close to Xiu Ning.

How close must a friend be to stay up until late at night?
The laughter and chatter grew louder and louder, and Zhao Zhao couldn't help but wonder: If this girl doesn't understand sign language, she'll have to write a lot back to Xiu Ning, which will be exhausting. Why isn't she leaving by midnight? Does she have to squeeze out all the things she'll have to say in a lifetime tonight?

The door was suddenly pushed open, and the girl stepped out, instructing her attendants to open the chests and pick out some novel items, which she wanted to personally show to Xiu Ning. As the attendants busied themselves, they reported, "Master, the two golden-feathered birds have been transported to the island."

The girl was delighted and urged them to hurry and bring the goods. The attendants obeyed and left, and fewer people were searching the chest. She saw Zhao Zhao and the others standing under the eaves, assuming they were all maids, and said arrogantly, "What are you looking at? Aren't you going to lend a hand?"

Because of her noble status, the maids dared not offend her and humbly asked Zhaozhao to endure the injustice for now.

Zhao Zhao wasn't worried. She had come to the manor to serve as a servant, so she rolled up her sleeves and searched with the maids and attendants. In the end, they found two wooden boxes. When the boxes were slightly opened, everyone was dazzled.

They were two paintings, pieced together from jade stones. The colors were harmonious, exquisite and astonishing, luxurious yet not vulgar. Moonlight fell on the jade, making each piece seem to contain fireflies of different colors, shimmering and flickering, breathtakingly beautiful.

Zhao Zhao had never seen anything so good, not even in her dreams.

The people who went to fetch the golden and emerald feathers returned, carrying two gilded cages as if they were their ancestors. Inside each cage were two birds about half a person's height, their colorful feathers shimmering like brocade. The girl saw that they stood lazily with their feathers closed and looked displeased. She instructed her attendants, "Make them spread their tails."

The attendant smiled wryly and could only try to poke the birds in the cage with a twig. The two birds were exhausted and refused to move even when poked. The girl, helpless, had them carried in like that.

"Did they capture the phoenix from the storybook?" Zhao Zhao asked the maid beside her in a low voice. The maid covered her mouth and chuckled, "That's a peacock, a kind of bird that is presented as tribute from foreign countries. Every inch of its feathers is worth its weight in gold. You have to pay this much to buy one—" As she spoke, she gestured with her hand.

"...Three thousand taels?"

"Thirty thousand taels!"

Zhao Zhao lowered her head, a bitter, unspeakable feeling churning within her—this girl had known Xiu Ning for many years, they were a perfect match, equals, and she could casually give him something more valuable than her own life. She resented that the girl was taking up Xiu Ning's time and hindering their meetings, but how could she possibly be compared to her?

The moon was high in the sky, and the night was deep. The maid pushed open the door and asked softly, "Princess, would you like a guest room prepared?" Not knowing what the reply was from inside, the maid nodded and ran out.

Candlelight shone through the wooden latticework onto the eaves. Zhao Zhao stood in the dim light and shadow of the window, thinking that Xiu Ning probably wouldn't have time to see her tonight.

If she knew what was good for her, she should have taken her leave. Just as she was about to leave, the maid who had run out earlier returned, followed by a palanquin. She knocked on the door and reported, "Princess, the boat is ready."

Zhao Zhao's eyes lit up for a moment. Was she leaving? She faintly heard the girl inside the room bidding farewell to Xiu Ning. The door opened, and her attendants ushered her out. She stepped onto the palanquin on the backs of her attendants, and before leaving, she smiled and called back into the room, "Xiu Ning, see you when it snows!"

The group departed in a large throng, and several maids carried out gilded cages, letting the two peacocks roost and wander freely in the woods, without giving them any special care despite their high price.

A maidservant approached Zhao Zhao and said, "Miss, the princess invites you in."

Zhao Zhao felt inexplicably nervous and was about to take a step when she heard a welcoming voice from outside the woods: "The young master has arrived!"

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see Xiu Yi dressed in a magnificent gold-embroidered red robe, slender and elegant, with a thin headband softening her cold expression and adding a touch of beauty.

Zhao Zhao wondered to herself why this person had such a handsome face, and at the same time, she and the maids under the eaves bowed together, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness—"

Xiu Yi noticed Zhao Zhao was also there, and a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes. He didn't say much and stepped inside.

Zhao Zhao continued to wait under the eaves, faintly hearing the conversation inside—

"...A letter arrived from the capital, reporting repeated attacks from the north, with a major battle imminent. Most of the generals deployed are from the Wu faction; while some have chosen the wrong side, they are all quite prestigious and capable. Launching a major investigation now would be detrimental to the country." "Hold back the guns, quell the external threats first, then deal with the internal strife—that's Minister Jiang's idea, and my parents agree. But..." Xiu Yi sneered, "Xiu Ning, do you really believe that these embezzling, insatiable parasites will prioritize national affairs when the country is on the verge of collapse?"

"The imperial army is weak and exhausted. If we suffer a defeat at the front, the enemy will cross the frozen river and strike directly at the capital. We are about to march north, and how to stabilize the rear is still a problem... The annual output of the royal fields under the jurisdiction of the government has been calculated, and it is simply not enough to support the army."

Zhao Zhao listened intently, thinking to himself that it would be a miracle if there was enough grain to support the army. Most of the grain produced in the farms was kept by the farmhands, and the tenants could not afford the heavy taxes. It would be a miracle if the army's grain could be collected.

The room gradually quieted down, but Zhao Zhao was still lost in thought. Her maid nudged her, saying, "Miss, it's time to go inside."

Zhao Zhao snapped out of her daze and was led across the threshold. After lifting several curtains and passing several screens, she knelt with the maids on the gleaming bluestone: "Princess, the people have arrived."

Light footsteps sounded above her head, and Zhao Zhao's ears turned red with nervousness. Could it be Xiu Ning coming to help her? She looked up and met a pair of meaningful eyes. It was Xiu Yi. Zhao Zhao couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"Get up and come inside to talk," he said calmly.

Zhao Zhao moved in little by little, watching the dusty shoes repeatedly pass over the hem of her clothes. When she parted from Xiu Ning last time, she was full of pride, but now she was like a stray dog... A faint fragrance wafted over, and a fair hand appeared in front of her.

Zhao Zhao slowly raised her head, her cloud-patterned robes revealing a face as pure as frost and snow, with calm and peaceful eyes.

"The county master..."

Zhao Zhao instinctively tried to back away, afraid that the smell of alcohol on her body hadn't dissipated and that she was dirty. But Xiu Ning had already grabbed her, raised his finger and gestured to the maids, pulling Zhao Zhao to sit down next to him on the short couch.

Seeing the two being intimate, Xiu Yi frowned slightly and gestured to the maids to bring some fruit and cool drinks.

Even after the food was placed on the table, Zhao Zhao still looked awkward, keeping her head down and holding her cup without drinking.

Following her previous instructions, Xiu Yi recounted everything that had happened after leaving Yunzhou, glancing at her meaningfully a few times while omitting her murderous acts.

Zhao Zhao thought Xiu Ning would be suspicious, but she saw her slowly raise her finger. Xiu Yi asked for her, "What is the name of your friend who was exiled to the army?"

“Xiao Duo.” Zhao Zhao’s eyes lit up. “Fifteen or sixteen years old, a head taller than me, with somewhat dark skin…”

A person cannot be described in a few words, so Xiu Yi ordered someone to bring paper and pen so that she could draw a clear picture.

But Zhao Zhao's handwriting is crooked and messy, how could she draw?

Finally, they produced a portrait that was neither human nor ghost. Xiu Ning took the pen, gesturing for her to speak slowly. Strangely enough, she could understand the meaning of every word and sentence Zhao Zhao uttered; Xiao Duo seemed to leap off the page.

Xiu Yi summoned He Bi and ordered him to search carefully among the list of those exiled to the army. He Bi saw a rather handsome young man on the paper and asked Zhao Zhao with a smile, "Isn't this your childhood sweetheart?" Before he could finish speaking, Xiu Yi gave him a cold glare and sent him flying.

Aside from this matter, Xiu Ning didn't ask Zhao Zhao anything else, lest she touch upon something painful. Xiu Yi, however, said calmly, "The manor is much more comfortable than the estate; why didn't you bring your sister along?"

When an ordinary person is suddenly faced with a major change, would they leave their only family member? Unless they are determined to go against the tide and are afraid of implicating their family in the future.

Zhao Zhao knew what he suspected, lowered her eyes, and spoke of what happened when she hid in the wine cellar: "...Miss Yue's maid said that people are born with different social statuses, and everyone has their own price. Compared to a sister who used to be a prostitute, Miss Yue is more respectable."

She was very discreet, and Xiu Yi didn't bother to investigate further. He asked her to talk about what she had seen and heard at the estate, to see if it could help the Prince Ning's estate to reorganize the royal lands.

Although Zhao Zhao did not stay in Fanjiazhuang for long, she handled important account books and roughly figured out how the estate was run, and she also knew a thing or two about its shady practices.

"The farmhands occupy all the fertile and well-watered land, but they pay far less grain than the tenants. Take Fan Family Village for example. I roughly looked through last year's income and expenditure ledgers. The farmhands occupied 70% of the land, but only paid 30% of the grain. The rest was made up by exploiting the tenants."

Zhao Zhao paused for a moment, then continued with the recent turmoil in Fan Family Village: "At first, it was the villagers who started a disturbance, trying to drive all the people from our royal household out of the village. Later, the tenant farmers were the most vocal in their protests; they had had enough of the injustices they endured and gathered together to kill the villagers..."

Xiu Ning pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen and wrote a line of text. Zhao Zhao couldn't recognize it all, so Xiu Yi helped read it aloud: "What is the situation regarding the farmhands encroaching on the tenants' land?"

“I don’t know that.” Zhao Zhao scratched her head. “I haven’t been in the manor long and haven’t inspected the fields.” Her eyes lit up. “We can write a letter to Miss Wen Yue. She’s been recruiting poor people and beggars to work as tenants in the manor recently. She’ll probably remeasure the land and it will be clear at a glance how much land the previous tenants occupied. From this, we can see how much land Wang Tian has hidden.”

Xiu Yi raised an eyebrow: "Your idea?"

"right……"

Zhao Zhao knew this was against the rules. Although she had never been to school, she knew that "those without property have no stable mind" and "a broken pot will only lead to ruin." Normally, renting land required paying several years in advance. Now, giving land to poor people and beggars to cultivate first, who knew if she could collect rent next year?